Mercury, Philips and Decca recordings of orchestral pops conducted by the supremely versatile Sir Charles Mackerras, including a pair of Strauss overtures new to CD.
Few conductors, if any, have demonstrated the sheer versatility of Charles Mackerras. He could turn his sharp ear and his unfussy baton technique to every corner of classical repertoire, and early in his career, he conducted many recordings of popular ballet and symphonic repertoire for a range of record labels. The present collection revives the first-ever album he made for Decca in May 1958, of works by Grieg and Sibelius which were originally issued under RCA’s ‘Living Stereo’ livery.
The orchestra was probably the LSO, renamed for contractual reasons, but they were flying under their own banner three years later when they recorded an enterprising selection of overtures and showpieces with brilliantly lifelike Mercury Living Presence engineering. Issued as ‘Kaleidoscope’, these recordings were originally scheduled as fillers for the sessions of Sviatoslav Richter’s legendary Liszt concerto album, and indeed Nicolai’s overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor was actually taped while a new piano was being delivered to the venue at Richter’s demand.
This newly remastered collection is completed by two more rarities from the conductor’s long relationship with the LSO: incisive accounts of the overtures to Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron, recorded for Philips in 1965 and long unavailable in any format, but distinguished by playing out of the top drawer.
CD 1
JOHANN STRAUSS I (1804–1849)
Radetzky-Marsch
JOHANN STRAUSS II (1825–1899)
Die Fledermaus – Overture
Der Zigeunerbaron – Overture
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897)
Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 20* & 21*
JACQUES OFFENBACH (1819–1880)
Overture & Can-Can (Orphée aux enfers)
PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)
Cossack Dance (Mazeppa)
BEDŘICH SMETANA (1824–1884)
Dance of the Comedians (The Bartered Bride)
OTTO NICOLAI (1810–1849)
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor – Overture
CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786–1826)
Abu Hassan – Overture
AMBROISE THOMAS (1811–1896)
Mignon – Overture
FRANZ VON SUPPÉ (1819–1895)
Banditenstreiche – Overture
CD 2
CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786–1826)
Aufforderung zum Tanz
GIACOMO MEYERBEER (1791–1864)
Coronation March (Le Prophète)
MIKHAIL IVANOVICH GLINKA (1804–1857)
Jota Aragonesa (Caprice brillant)
London Symphony Orchestra
EDVARD GRIEG (1843–1907)
Two Elegiac Melodies*
Cowkeeper’s Tune & Country Dance*
Wedding Day at Troldhaugen*
JEAN SIBELIUS (1865–1957)
Valse triste
Elegy & Musette (King Christian Suite)
Entr’acte (Pelléas et Mélisande)
Finlandia, Op. 26
London Proms Symphony Orchestra
* FIRST CD RELEASE ON DECCA
Recording Director: Wilma Cozart (Nicolai, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Brahms, Offenbach, Suppé, Weber, Meyerbeer, Johann Strauss I, Thomas, Weber/Berlioz, Glinka)
Musical Supervisor: Harold Lawrence (Nicolai, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Brahms, Offenbach, Suppé, Weber, Meyerbeer, Johann Strauss I, Thomas, Weber/Berlioz, Glinka)
Recording Producers: Vittorio Negri (Johann Strauss II); Michael Williamson (Grieg, Sibelius)
Chief Engineer and Technical Supervisor: C. Robert Fine (Nicolai, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Brahms, Offenbach, Weber, Meyerbeer, Johann Strauss I, Thomas, Weber/Berlioz, Glinka)
Associate Engineer: Robert Eberenz (Nicolai, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Brahms, Offenbach, Weber, Meyerbeer, Johann Strauss I, Thomas, Weber/Berlioz, Glinka)
Balance Engineers: Vittorio Negri (Johann Strauss II); Kenneth Wilkinson (Grieg, Sibelius)
Record Locations: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London, UK, 26, 27, 30 March 1958 (Grieg, Sibelius), 19 July 1961 (Nicolai), 21 July 1961 (Weber/Berlioz, Meyerbeer, Johann Strauss I), 22 July 1961 (Tchaikovsky, Glinka), 23 July 1961 (Thomas, Smetana, Brahms, Offenbach, Weber, Suppé); Wembley Town Hall, London, UK, 12–15 January 1965 (Johann Strauss II)
Original Releases: Philips PHM 500022 (Nicolai, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Brahms, Offenbach: Overture, Weber): November 1962; PHM 500105 (Meyerbeer, Johann Strauss I, Thomas, Offenbach: Can-Can, Suppé): April 1966; 835338 AY (Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus): 1965; 6539 043 (Weber/Berlioz): 1977 (France only) / 6527 071 (international): August 1981; 837063 GY (Johann Strauss II: Der Zigeunerbaron): 1966 (Germany only) / 6747 176: May 1975 (international); 7506 006 (Glinka): January 1972 (cassette only – not released on LP); Decca SPA 91 (Grieg, Sibelius): August 1970 (previously released on RCA LM 2336: September 1959)
“Mackerras has a way with this music. His performances are spirited, and he elicits crisp, clean sounds from the orchestra … A most faithful recording, with exceptionally naturalistic, resinous sounds from the strings.” High Fidelity, February 1963 (‘Kaleidoscope’)
“The performances reveal all the zest, colour and care for detail that have been a hallmark of Mackerras’s music-making ever since … The sound was in the demonstration bracket in its time and remains remarkable for its tangibility.” Gramophone, December 1995 (‘Kaleidoscope’)
‘Mackerras finds just the right touch.’ Fanfare, September 2006 (Grieg)